


Late Nights

by DreamingStill



Category: Shetland (TV), Shetland - Ann Cleeves
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, One Shot, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26193346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamingStill/pseuds/DreamingStill
Summary: When a tedious case leads to a late night in the office for Jimmy and Tosh what begins as playful banter turns into something more.
Relationships: Alison McIntosh/Jimmy Perez
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	Late Nights

**Author's Note:**

> I created an aesthetic/moodboard to go with this one-shot which you can see below.  
> This is unbeta’d so forgive any mistakes. Enjoy!

It was a late October evening; the day had dawned grey and dark and had ended much the same.

The team’s latest case had turned out to be a rather tedious one, with a nightmarish amount of business, financial, and legal paperwork to trawl through. They had all spent the last forty-eight hours up to their eyes in physical and electronic reports, spreadsheets, charts, and so much legal jargon that they were all going a little stir-crazy.

Sandy had been the first to falter. Just over an hour previous he had laid his head down on his desk with a groan and muttered, “I give up. Mayb’ it’ll make sense tomorrow,” before dragging his weary self out the door.

Billy had followed not too long after with a hurried, “Night,” before anyone could stop him. And so only Jimmy and Tosh were left soldiering on in the station.

The sky outside turned from grey to black as night fell and Jimmy found that his eyes could no longer stay focused. The letters and numbers on the screen and pages before him all blurred together, and his mind kept drifting to thoughts of bed and sleep. In the end, he had to call it a night.

He looked over the top of his computer at Tosh across the room. Her brow was furrowed, and she was glaring at the computer screen. Clearly the section of reports she was going through was not going the way she had hoped. From the looks of things, she would end up staying half the night, if not all night, in the station to get through them.

She needed to go home and get some sleep. They both did.

“Right, I’m done in and these reports stopped making sense hours ago. I’m going home. You comin’?” Jimmy called across the room.

The only reply he received had a grunt and vague wave of her hand.

Jimmy eyed Tosh tiredly, she was definitely going to stay all night and that would not do.

“Tosh,” he called again, standing and reaching for his coat, “You cannae stay here all night finishing those reports. I need you awake and alert tomorrow morning.”

“I know, I know,” she placated, still not looking up. “I’m nearly done.”

Clearly, she was not about to let the reports get the better of her.

Jimmy sighed, “Tosh save your work and turn off the computer.”

“I will, I will. I just want to finish this bit.”

A likely story.

“Tosh, don’t make me come over there and turn it off for you.”

That got her attention.

She looked up quickly to gauge his seriousness. He was leaning casually against his desk, his coat draped over the arm of his chair, quite forgotten, but the mischievous glint in his eyes told her he was indeed considering following through on his threat.

She gave a huff of laughter and made a grand show of saving her work to mollify him. “See, I’m saving the documents.”

He watched her, amused but not wholly convinced. “Good, now turn off the computer and I’ll drop you home.”

Her face fell, he had seen through her plan. She had hoped, once he was satisfied the work had been saved that he would leave and she could continue. If not, then she could walk out with him and once he had driven away she could dash back in and finish off. But there would be no way to do that if he dropped her home.

Jimmy could see the thoughts going across her face and knew he had been right about what she had planned. He also knew, as he watched her try and find an excuse, that he had her preverbally cornered. She would not win this game.

Jimmy pushed himself off the desk, “Right, that’s it,” he said, and proceeded to walk slowly, deliberately, towards her.

“No, no, no,” she squeaked holding up her hands, but the gesture was rendered less affective by the giggle which followed.

“Don’t you dare!” Tosh warned as Jimmy drew level with her desk, his eyes dark with mirth.

He reached around her to the power switch.

“No,” she laughed again and batted his hand away.

“I’m going to turn that computer off,” he grinned and tried with his other hand, but she swotted that away too, “and take you home.”

Tosh turned her chair, so she was facing him fully with the back of her chair protecting the computer.

Jimmy made a move to the left which she deflected and then to the right.

The room quickly filled with laughter as their game continued.

Eventually, with a triumphant cry Tosh grabbed one of his wrists, holding it tightly close to her chest. Her grin broadened; victory would be hers.

Jimmy continued his attempts, but it was futile, with one arm out of action and Tosh positioning herself and her chair in the way there was little chance of his reaching around her. His defeat came swiftly, for with another victorious shout Tosh managed to ensnare his other wrist.

“I win,” she grinned smugly up at him.

“So you have,” he smiled down at her in return.

Tosh blinked; they were close, much closer than she had realised. She held both of his wrists close to herself and he was leaning over her, his body angled down to her. She could feel his breath caress her cheek when he spoke.

She had never really thought about it before, but he had nice eyes, eyes that could show such kindness but also anger. She had seen his blue eyes reflect many emotions over the years, but she had never seen this particular emotion. A look of wanting, a look of desire.

Tosh had always been his colleague, a friend and someone he wanted to keep safe. But now, with their laughter still hanging in the air, their closeness, and the warmth of her hands holding his wrists, he began to look at her differently. She was not just pretty but beautiful, her laughter made her eyes shine bright and her smile was enough to lighten any bad day. He looked in her eyes and wondered if the look, the desire, he saw lurking in their depths was real or just his wishful thinking.

The moment stretched on between them, neither daring to make the first move nor willing to pull away.

Neither knew what caused it, maybe Tosh leaned forward, maybe Jimmy’s hands moved and his fingers grazed her neck, but the next thing they were kissing.

Tosh let go of Jimmy’s wrists and brought one hand up to his chest clutching at his jumper, the other reaching to cup his cheek, the stubble on his cheek rough under her hands. She let out a moan as her lips claimed his. He tasted of the coffee he had earlier to try and keep himself awake. She wanted more.

Jimmy used a hand on the back of the chair to steady himself, while the other moved to the base of Tosh’s neck tangling in the stray locks there. She tasted sweet, a slight fruity mix from her lip balm.

Jimmy opened his mouth, inviting her in and letting her tongue slip into and explore his mouth. He growled as her tongue teased his and she pressed herself closer to him.

Both were lost in the moment, in the heady sensations of lips and tongues and the taste of each other.

When at last they broke apart they stayed close, their foreheads resting against the one another’s.

It was only after a short while as Tosh’s mind came back to reality that the stillness in the room gave her pause. She considered it for a moment and quickly realised she could not hear the whir of her computer’s fan.

She leaned back and turned to look at the device. It was off.

She twisted round to face Jimmy with a half-hearted glare.

He gave her a cheeky grin before leaning in to plant an equally brazen kiss on her lips.

“I win,” he whispered, and jumped back with a chuckle when Tosh tried to punch him on the arm.

“Fine,” Tosh grumbled, struggling to hold her glare and contain her smile, “You win.”

For his part Jimmy tried not to look too smug.

“Come on,” he said offering her his hand, “I’ll drop you home.”

Tosh accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

They were very close again, but this time when Jimmy leaned in, he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. He then moved away to get his jacket while Tosh grabbed her own.

One of the things she like most about Jimmy was how understanding he was. He would always be a source of strength when she needed it but without ever overwhelming her. She needed things to move slowly, especially after everything that had happened to her, and Jimmy knew that without her having to say anything. He was ok with it, he respected it. Respected her.

Jimmy returned to Tosh’s side, pulling her from her thoughts. They made their way out of the station, turning off lights as they went, but always returning to each other’s sides.

The car ride was quiet but not uncomfortable, they each savoured the quiet intimacy of the other’s company. Every so often Jimmy would reach across and take hold of Tosh’s hand, holding it tight and smiling over at her before returning his gaze to the road. At one point he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, Tosh blushed but a bubble of warmth and happiness spread within her at the tender gesture

When they reached Tosh’s place Jimmy turn to her and asked, “I can pick you up tomorrow morning, if you’d like?”

“Aye, that would be nice,” she replied with a smile.

“Good.” He leaned over and kissed her goodnight. It was a sweet kiss, a gentle one. One that held tenderness and understanding. It was a promise for the future.

“Goodnight, Alison,” he said softly as she stepped out of the car.

She gave a small wave goodbye before replying, “Goodnight, Jimmy.”

Jimmy watched her unlock the door and step inside, safe, and with a final wave goodnight drove home himself.

Maybe the case, even with its late nights, wasn’t so bad after all.

***

Fin.


End file.
